Professional riders race during the finals of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup at the Sarasota BMX Track Sunday. Photos by Matt Houston   MORE>>

  Not sure how long it’s going to be until 42,000 visitors descend on Sarasota, clog our roads and fill our hotel rooms and restaurants? There is now a countdown clock in Nathan Benderson Park that can tell you.   Local tourism and public officials on Friday unveiled a new sculpture equipped with a digital … MORE>>

Parents of Manatee County tumblers rejoice! USA Gymnastics coach has joined Evo Athletics to coach cart-wheelers and elite athletes alike. Aimee Boorman, the longtime coach of four-time gold medalist Simone Biles and coach of the US Gymnastics team that won the gold medal in Rio this month, announced Monday she was parting ways with Houston-based … MORE>>

 See if you know the difference between banned Russian athletes and James Bond characters. MORE>>

Time to put aside the politics and the craziness of the world and focus on the important issues. Football season! The Buccaneers 2016 training camp is open to the public starting tomorrow. Free admission and parking. I’m in. Pro tip: Players will usually sign autographs before AND after practice. Be patient and let the kids … MORE>>

Alexia Putellas, 22, plays for FC Barcelona women’s team in Spain’s Primera Division and this summer, the Spanish midfielder is training at IMG Academy getting ready for next season. I caught up with Putellas to talk about the soccer (futbol) landscape in Spain, her experiences in the United States and her long-term career goals. Last season, … MORE>>

The saga of the Atlanta Braves’ next spring training complex took a new turn this week with the semi-shocking news that Collier County is apparently still in the hunt. Collier County and the Naples area pulled up on the scene earlier this spring in what looked like a distant third in the race between Sarasota and … MORE>>

At the 2012 World Championships, Amanda Carr was one step away from making the United States Olympic team in BMX. A crash on the first turn stopped her journey in its tracks. Four years later, now representing a different nation, financially supported despite the outcome and with no regrets, Carr qualified for the 2016 Olympics … MORE>>

As the NBA Draft approaches, the story lines circulating top prospects who spent only one year in college are abundant. The most interesting though, is the athlete who is projected to be a top-draft pick but skipped college all together. Thon Maker, 19, a 7-foot-1 Sudanese-Australian basketball player currently playing for Canada’s Athlete Institute, is … MORE>>

Florida tourism likes to break records. Spring training, evidently, isn’t any different. The governor announced this week the average per game attendance, at an average of 7,096 spectators, reached an all time high for Major League Baseball spring training in Florida. This is the first time that spring training has toppled an average of 7,000, … MORE>>